Chapter 38: Breaking Defense Sunlight penetrates the treetops, casting two streaks on the forest path...
The sunlight penetrated the treetops and shone on two figures walking slowly along the forest path.
Ling An put one arm on Tang Suzi's shoulder. She supported him carefully, her steps slightly staggering.
He could clearly feel her breathing becoming heavier as she bore most of his weight, but her grip on his elbow remained firm and strong, never relaxing at all.
The breeze in the forest was still a bit chilly, but beads of sweat were already appearing on Tang Suzi's forehead.
When the two arrows flew towards him just now, he immediately chose Lin Xiangli and let the arrow shoot straight at her. If it weren't for Fang Buyu, she would have been...
Ling An felt guilty. What was he thinking at the time? Just because Tang Suzi had already passed away, did her life become less important?
But among all living things, how can one life be more important than another? He once deeply detested those humans who sacrificed the weak during famine. Weren't those "sacrificed" pets, even fellow humans, simply because they weren't that important?
Now he has become the existence he once hated so much. Faced with two equal lives, he made the choice to abandon Tang Suzi.
Ling An quietly withdrew his arm from Tang Suzi's shoulder.
Sensing his movements, Tang Suzi turned his gaze towards him, his eyes full of confusion.
"I can walk on my own," he said softly.
"Really? Are you still thirsty? Do you want some more water?" Tang Suzi asked with concern, untying the water bottle from her waist. However, when she found the bottle was empty, a look of guilt crossed her face.
"No water. Sorry Ling An, I should have prepared more."
Ling An lowered his head, and his low voice drifted into her ears: "I'm sorry."
"Huh? What?" Tang Suzi was obviously confused.
Ling An repeated, "I'm sorry, I didn't choose you then."
Tang Suzi was slightly stunned, then smiled with relief: "What is there to apologize for? Under the circumstances at that time, you could only save one person. I never thought you would choose me."
Had she never thought about it? For the past ten years, she had collected holy water for him day after day, silently guarding him. Had she never hoped that he would choose her? Was her expectation too low for herself, or too low for him? Perhaps it was because she had never expected anything from him that she didn't feel sad.
Ling An turned to look at Tang Suzi. There was still a bright light shining in her eyes, as if she really didn't care.
He heard her whisper, "My heart is small, and I only want to be filled with love. If I feel resentment because others don't make a choice, then love will be swallowed by resentment, and my heart will become dark and dull."
The light in her eyes flickered, "That would be too scary. I don't want to become like that."
"So, Ling An..." Tang Suzi turned to look at him, her almond eyes bright as water, full of sincerity and honesty, "I really don't care, you don't need to apologize for this."
Ling An was dazzled by those bright eyes and he looked away without leaving a trace.
After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke, "I promise you, it won't take more than a month. Once Lin Xiangli settles down, I will go back to Tanshan Temple with you."
Tang Suzi stood there in a daze. She didn't expect him to give her such an answer suddenly.
One month?
Is she going to leave here in a month?
I can't describe the feeling in my heart, it's a complete mess.
After walking a few steps, Ling An found that she did not catch up with him, so he turned around and looked at her in confusion.
Tang Suzi calmed down, ran up and held his arm again, and responded,
"good."
*
Tang Suzi was wandering at the intersection of a quiet path in the Fang Mansion, his eyes occasionally passing through the shadows of the trees to the other end of the path, hoping that a figure would appear.
This is the only way for Fang Buyu to return to the courtyard.
She was waiting for him.
She wanted to see how the wound on his face looked.
Seeing that the sun was about to set and Fang Buyu had not returned yet, she stared at the oleander tree by the roadside bored.
It had been raining continuously recently, and the sun didn't come out until noon.
The oleander is basking in the first rays of the sun, and new buds are sprouting on its moist branches, full of vitality.
She stood on tiptoe to take a closer look, but accidentally touched a cluster of branches, and instantly, water droplets fell.
She frantically protected her head with one hand and wiped the water droplets from her face with the other.
The moment she looked up, she saw Fang Buyu standing at the end of the path looking at her.
The afterglow of the setting sun outlines his tall and straight figure, and his handsome facial features appear even more handsome in the interweaving of light and shadow. His blue-gray official uniform flutters in the wind, like a banished immortal who has strayed into the mortal world.
He just stood there and looked at her quietly.
Tang Suzi paused in wiping her face, and after a moment she came back to her senses. She awkwardly fixed her hair and greeted him with a smile, "You're back..."
Fang Buyu walked towards her slowly, but his eyes were looking straight ahead, not at her, as if she didn't exist.
He walked straight up to her and passed her by.
The smile that had originally been in Tang Suzi's eyes slowly faded away, and her anxious heart fell to the ground and turned into endless loss. She didn't have time to think about it, but instinctively and involuntarily pulled his sleeve.
Fang Buyu stopped because of her actions.
"Miss Tang, what's the matter?"
He still had his back to her, and his tone was calm.
Tang Suzi gently pulled his sleeve and slowly walked in front of him.
The scratches on his cheekbones had formed into fine brown-red scabs, which fell under the corners of his eyes that were as bright as the moon, making him look cold and aloof.
"Does it hurt?"
Tang Suzi couldn't help but raise her hand, wanting to touch the scar. However, just when her fingertips were about to touch his skin, Fang Buyu turned his head away, avoiding her touch.
Tang Suzi's hand froze in mid-air.
She explained somewhat helplessly,
"Pavilion Master Fang, I..."
Who knew Fang Buyu would suddenly chuckle,
"Pavilion Master Fang..."
In an instant, he grabbed Tang Suzi's hand that was hanging in the air with such force that she couldn't help but frown.
"You call me Pavilion Master Fang, yet you care about me so much. So, are you Tang Suzi, or..."
After a brief pause, he tightened his grip on her wrist and then spoke two words,
"Zhou, Tiao."
Fang Buyu stared at Tang Suzi intently, with surging emotions in his eyes, as if something was about to break free from its shackles and burst out.
All these speculations and temptations, just go away!
He just wanted her to tell him clearly who she was!
Tang Suzi's mind exploded with a "boom" and she stepped back in panic.
Fang Buyu pressed on step by step until she had nowhere to retreat and her back suddenly hit the trunk of the oleander tree behind her.
With a "splash", the water droplets on the tree and the tears on her face fell together.
Fang Buyu's irritability, confusion, and unstoppable impulse were all melted away by this tear.
His eyes softened instantly and he leaned over and hugged her.
"Tiao Tiao, you are Tiao Tiao, right..."
Tang Suzi was held tightly in Fang Buyu's arms. Her tears fell on his neck. His heart trembled violently, and he held her tighter in his arms.
"Tiaotiao, I miss you so much..."
After an unknown amount of time, Tang Suzi gradually stopped sobbing.
She rested her face on his chest, listened to the sound of his strong heartbeat, and slowly closed her eyes.
When he opened his eyes again, there was peace in them, all the fragility and pain had disappeared.
"I'm not Zhou Tiao."
Although the voice was small, she was sure that Fang Buyu heard it.
His body stiffened, and he slowly let her go, holding her arms and looking straight at her.
"What did you say?"
Tang Suzi also looked directly into his eyes, without dodging or escaping,
"I'm not Zhou Tiao, I'm Tang Suzi."
"I ask again, are you Zhou Tiao?"
Although it was a question, he asked it firmly, as if he already had the answer in his mind.
Tang Suzi looked away and tried to break free from his hands that were tightly gripping her arms.
"I'm not, I'm Tang Suzi."
But his grip on her arms was as firm as an iron clamp, preventing her from moving at all.
Tang Suzi had to look back at him again,
"Please let me go."
Fang Buyu's pupils became dark, staring at her without blinking, as if he wanted to see into her heart.
"You are not Zhou Tiao, then why were you crying just now?"
Tang Suzi continued to struggle,
"Because you hurt me."
Fang Buyu paused, the strength in his hands instantly dropped, and he let go of his hand dejectedly.
He watched Tang Suzi turning his wrist, and the obsession in his eyes gradually dissipated.
"Feel sorry."
His face was sad, but he still wanted to grasp at a ray of hope, like grasping at a life-saving straw.
"I'm asking you one last time, are you really not Zhou Tiao?"
The firmness between his eyebrows was gone, and was now filled with pleading and sorrow.
Tang Suzi couldn't bear to watch any longer.
"I'm not."
At that moment, the glimmer in Fang Buyu's eyes completely went out, and everything returned to silence.
"Okay, I was abrupt."
*
On the way back, I met Xiaoying by chance.
She was wearing water shoes and long-sleeved gloves, and her clothes were stained with dirt and water stains. When she saw her, she greeted her from a distance:
"Miss Tang!"
She walked towards Tang Suzi happily.
When she got closer, she saw Tang Suzi's dazed look and red and swollen eyes. She asked carefully,
"Miss Tang, what's wrong with you?"
Tang Suzi forced a smile and shook his head slightly.
"Nothing, just a little tired."
After noticing Xiaoying's attire, she asked, "What are you..."
"oh,"
Xiaoying looked at her muddy clothes and explained a little embarrassedly,
"I was just draining the camellia bed."
Tang Suzi's heart suddenly jumped, and he had a bad premonition.
"What happened to Camellia?"
"It rained a lot the past few days, so there was quite a bit of water in the flowerbed. When Uncle De went to check on it this afternoon, he saw a lot of camellia leaves had fallen, and the tips were all burnt yellow!"
Tang Suzi's blood ran cold, and he murmured in a daze,
"how so……"
Xiaoying said, "Yes, I was just planning to report this to the Pavilion Master to see how to handle it..."
Tang Suzi didn't say anything more, just nodded silently, and then walked towards the camellia garden in a daze.
The flower garden was in a mess.
Countless broken leaves are scattered on the muddy ground. The branches and leaves of the camellia trees are drooping, with green and yellow intertwined on the leaves. The yellow tips of the leaves are like the scythe of the god of death, eroding the greenness, as if they are about to reach the end of their lives.
Looking at this scene, Tang Suzi felt an indescribable sadness in his heart and collapsed to the ground powerlessly.
She felt that she was just like the camellia, which had taken root in the soil but could not resist fate and would eventually wither.
Does this also foreshadow the end of her and A Yu, separated by heaven and earth, unable to continue their relationship...
＊
Tang Suzi felt as if he had slept for a very long time.
She had a dream.
In her dream, she knelt beside the dark Naihe Bridge, and a deafening sound of thunder rang in her ears. The sound was like the gods above the nine heavens judging her crimes, accusing her of violating the order of heaven, and that she and her loved ones would be punished by heaven.
She kowtowed and begged repeatedly, but still could not change the god's decision.
In desperation, she jumped from the bridge.
The world fell into darkness...
Then she woke up with a start.
When she was feeling extremely anxious, she heard a loud and noisy voice outside the house.
She wrapped herself in a shawl and walked out of the yard. At a glance, she saw a group of servants and maids gathered around the camellia garden, talking in a lively manner.
"Miss Tang!"
Xiaoying in the crowd saw her, ran over, pulled her to the edge of the flower bed, pointed at the camellia trees, and said excitedly,
"Look, Miss Tang! The camellia tree is alive!"
Tang Suzi took a closer look and found that the dead leaves in the flower garden had been cleaned up. The camellia trees had changed from their drab appearance to standing tall and straight. The soil at the bottom was just the right amount of dry and moist, and it looked like some fertilizer had been sprinkled on it.
The yellowed parts of the leaves that were originally half-dead have been greatly reduced, and some branches have even sprouted new buds.
"What... is going on?"
Before Xiaoying could answer, the servant next to her spoke first.
"I heard from the housekeeper that the Pavilion Master washed the roots of these camellia trees, pruned them, and then replanted them the day before yesterday. That's how he saved them!"
The maids beside him also echoed,
"The Pavilion Master is truly powerful. He's even so proficient in tea tree care!"
"It seems that the Pavilion Master has a special affection for these camellias. We must take good care of them in the future..."
The sounds from the outside world came pouring in, but Tang Suzi seemed to be in another world, with only these newly blossoming camellia trees in his eyes and heart...
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The author has something to say: When I was writing this chapter, I was listening to Hou Xian's "Broken Defense". I highly recommend this song, it's really, really good! !
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